," her brother answered. "But we'll soon be there."

They did not reach them, however. On and on they rode. The sun went down
behind a bank of clouds.

"Oh, dear!" sighed Janet, "I don't like this," and her voice sounded as
if she were going to cry.

"We'll soon be back at the rocks, and then I know the way home," said
Teddy, as bravely as he could.

But they did not reach the rocks. Up the hollows and across the hills
they rode, over the broad prairies, but no rocks did they see. At last
the ponies began to go more slowly, for they were tired. It grew darker.
Ted looked anxiously about. Janet spoke softly to him.

"Teddy," she asked, "are we--are we--lost?"

For a moment Teddy did not answer. Then he replied slowly:

"Yes--I guess we are lost, Janet!"

CHAPTER XIX

THE HIDDEN VALLEY

The Curlytops were in trouble. It was not the first time they had been
lost, no indeed! But it was the first time they could remember being
lost so far away from home, and in such a big place as a Western
prairie. They did not know what to do.

"Don't you know the way home?" asked Janet, still keeping close to her
brother. It was getting dark, and, somehow, she felt safer near him,
even if he was only a year older than she was.

"I'd know the way home back to the ranch house if we could find the
rocks with the cave where Clipclap was," Teddy replied.

"Let's look for them some more," suggested Janet. "If we don't get home
pretty soon we'll be all in the dark and--and we'll have to stay out
here all alone."

"Are you afraid?" asked Ted, looking at his sister.

"Yes. Won't you be?"

"Pooh! No!" he exclaimed, and he talked loudly, perhaps just so he would
not be afraid. You know a boy always whistles very loudly at night when
he is walking along a dark place alone. And if there are two boys they
both whistle. What girls do when they walk through a dark place alone I
do not know. Maybe they sing.

Anyhow Teddy talked very loud, and when Janet heard him say he was not
afraid she felt better.

"But will we have to stay out here all night?" she asked.

"I guess so," Teddy answered. "But it'll be just like camping out. Daddy
and Uncle Frank and the cowboys are going to stay out."

"Yes, but they've got something to eat," objected Janet, "and we haven't
anything. Not even a cookie--lessen you've got one in your pocket,
Teddy."

"No, Jan," answered her brother, after a quick search, "I haven't. I
forgot to bring a